Almost anything that will leave a mark will work, some better, some worse. I sometimes just use a blue lumber crayon and rub all over the surface of the barrel or tangs I'm inletting. It works particularly well for round bolt action barrels and doesn't leave the mess on the stock and your hands that inletting black does. You can also mark the item to be inletted with a lead pencil by repetitive rubbing. You can use lampblack mixed with grease to a thick paste, which is about what inletting black is. Or, can smoke the item in a candle flame. That works about as well as anything, just slow and irritating to do. All of these things (except the black grease) are less messy than inletting black, but not as persistent on the work, you have to renew them more often.

I re-read your post. A martini is so easy to inlet, I'd just mark the buttstock with a pencil to approximate dimensions, cut it with a chisel, and tap it in and look for the crushed spots. Remove those until it fits, cut the area where the wood meets the action to meet the metal, then glass bed it in.

The forend you can inlet in by using crayon to mark the barrel, and rub the forend just a bit back and forth on the barrel to mark the high spots.

Over 45 years ago, when I started building muzzle loaders, I tried everything in your imagination and always came back to the oldest inletting black known to man. The old cheapest sooty candle you can find. It is easy, it works, it's easy to clean up and as I mentioned it is cheap. What else do ya need.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb. - Benjamin Franklin

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Reg

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Re: Inletting Black Substitute?

Reply #4 - Mar 14th, 2012 at 7:44pm

Go to any auto parts store and get a small tube of Prussian blue. It's used for spotting in bearings and bearing bores. Only cost a buck or two. It's messy to use as all spotting compounds are but it leaves a good mark, easy to see and you don't have to rub things back and forth to get shiny spots.

I have used the large black Marks-A Lot magic markers for years. I build the occasional flintlock and that takes a LOT on inletting. The magic marker ink transfers well from metal to wood doesn't penetrate the wood like some of the oily transfer mediums commonly used. it works as well from metal to metal and when I'm done it washes off the metal with almost any non-water solvent

Andy I would have never gave that one any thought and it sure is a good one. Now to figure out a way to sneak a tube into my tool box without getting caught. What flavor do you use bright red or black?J.Louis

I have a percussion rifle that was probably built in the 1940's or earlier using a 32-40 #3 round Winchester barrel on a cast brass "receiver". The woodwork was inletted using lipstick. When I first pulled off the buttplate to see if there were any maker's identification, I could still smell the perfume in the wood from it!

Mama usually discards the tube after it is worn down. Still plenty left and easy to get to with a brush for application. Don't go buying. it is expensive. Don't go stealing if you value your life. Also good if you come home with lipstick on your collar. "Just working on a rifle, Honey"Chuck

One day at work a woman asked me what I was looking at, she was wearing a purple lip stick. I told her that the lipstick she was wearing might be a great color for inletting gunstock wood. She gave me a long hard look and for a while I thought I was going up to HR for some more sensitivity training. I explained the whole process to her, she shook her head, laughed and walked off. Couple days later standing in the isle bs-ing with somebody she walks up and drops a lipstick in my shirt pocket and keeps walking. A week later my wife comes out of the laundry room with her hind end on fire wanting an explanation for purple lipstick in my shirt. I went back to using the black stuff, it's safer.Andy

A second vote on candle soot. A home brew I've used is Dawn liquid dish washing soap thined with a small amount of water. To this, add a little water soluble black paint of the hobby/art variety. The soap solution works okay for large surfaces but isn't as good as candle soot.